There are thousands of articles on finding a job on the internet (in fact, here’s a good site to learn the basics).But what about finding green jobs? Never fear - here’s our step-by-step guide!

1. Assess your current skills:   Maybe you want to install solar panels, but you’re currently a web site developer. You’ll probably need to acquire some new skills to get that solar job! Make a list of your skills. Sometimes it’s helpful to work with a career advising service or college counseling center - they have tests and questionnaires that can help ferret out every relevant skill or experience you’ve had over the years.
2. Educate yourself about the green economy: The world of green jobs is large and growing every day. Take some time to learn more about the different possibilities (here’s a fun quiz!). Previous blog posts have outlined the environmental engineering and energy conservation sectors. There are also options in agriculture, renewable energy, manufacturing, transportation, and many other areas.
3. Get specific: Once you’ve decided which industry is a good fit for you, learn more about the specific jobs available. You can do this by talking with people in the industry, connecting with others via social networks, job boards (such as Great Green Careers), and locating the relevant professional associations for each industry. This is where your list of current skills will come in handy - you may find a good match for a new position, even if you’d never considered doing this type of work in the past.
4. What do you need?: You may come up short in the skills and experience area after you’ve completed step (3). No problem - you can acquire your new skills through community colleges, internships and apprenticeships, private schools, and even online learning. For a good list of training resources, check out our last blog post.
5. Put it all together: Start your job search by leveraging the connections you’ve made via steps 1-4. Reach out to the people that have helped you thus far and let them know you’re looking. Utilize niche job boards that specialize in the types of green jobs you’re seeking. Join the appropriate professional association if possible. Talk to your friends and relatives - you may be surprised at who they know. Finally, be persistent and utilize multiple approaches to find your green job. Don’t rely on a single method - attack from all sides.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 10:46 am and is filed under Green job opportunities, Finding green jobs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.